Mud Mud Mud

[KelliR]

I know this topic has been covered time and time again but there just HAS to be a better answer. I live in Charlotte NC and it has done nothing but rain for a month...red clay+water=horrible, nasty, sticky mud!!!!! I tried digging a drain....it kinda worked...I tried sand....I would have to be a millionaire to buy enough sand to fix this issue. During the summer we got leftover hurricane rain and I put down straw just to keep my girls up off of the mud.....well....that compacted, smelled to high heaven and invited rats. Here's the kicker.....my run is covered....AND 3/4 of it has been winterized with plastic sheeting. (so much for winter..it's 70) The water is seeping in from the ground outside of the run....and there doesn't seem to be anything that I can do about it....they have a dry coop but they love to dig and they just can't right now. Short of pouring a concrete floor and filling it in with dirt....does anyone have an idea to dry this mess up? At this point I am low on $$$ and fresh out of ideas.

 

[TalkALittle]

I wouldn't use the pellets at all. When wet don't they breakdown into a sawdust material. That is going to form a solid mat in the litter, not allowing air to reach down. It will promote the bad kind of mold and anaerobic decomposition that leads to odor.

Don't think about drying out the ground or trying to absorb all that wetness. Think about creating a lofty, multi-texured layer that sits above the wetness and elevates the birds off the wet ground.

 

[Beekissed]

So....deep litter in the run? The straw about broke my back when I went to remove it and it had compacted. Let me get this straight.....pine pellets, shavings, mulch.....pile it up on top of the mud and come spring just turn it all in with the dirt to refresh? That was kinda what I was leaning toward. I have some angry birds! They do however have a large, dry coop that honestly I could put a dust bath in.....poor girls...I feel so sorry for them! Thanks for the replies! Oh...and there is one French drain in there already, and yes it is in a lower part of the yard....had to build off of where the old playhouse was...it can't be moved....sheet metal!

No, you don't "turn in" deep litter. You just keep building it..and build it deep. It's best to stay away from things that are all one size and kind of material, as these take a long time to break down and can be a sodden, compact and smelly mess until it does~all straw, all hay, all pine shavings, etc. You'll want things that lets water and air into the middle of the litter pack and a variety of materials seems to work best. Heavier materials at the bottom like ramial wood chip, lawn and garden debris, grass clippings, etc, to act as a sink for your water. Then layer in small amounts of straw, twigs, lots of leaves, bark, pine needles, etc. Build it deep in the run~try to keep it 10-12 in. deep~ and you'll start to see some amazing things instead of mud and stink....you'll notice a lack of smells, even in wet weather, a lack of flies, a busier and more contented flock and even better health in the flock.

It will compost in place and you never have to refresh it, clean it, or anything else...just keep adding to it. Depending on how much compost is being produced~probably a lot considering where you live~ you may want to remove some of it every year to place on the garden, flower beds or even just spread it on the lawn. Another neat thing to do is place a few grow frames over it and seed it with some nutritious greens for the flock so they will have even more variety in their diet. If you provide them with a composting run floor, the bugs and worms will move into that litter pack and they will benefit from that food source as well. In the end you'll have healthier habitat for the chickens, for your soil and for your own benefit and time spent.

Grow frames...

 

[Bridebeliever]

x 2 on Folly's place

. Get as much Deep Litter down on it as possible. Use what ever free resources you can get. Leaves, grass clippings if they are dumped somewhere, Shavings don't cost too much so you could throw that on top of everything else. Deep as you can go, 18" is great! You could try to get mulch from a tree trimming place, they usually have it for free. Good luck!

 

[KelliR]

That would be awesome if the leaves weren't wet as well!! They love the pine mulch I put out in my flower beds....wonder if bagged mulch would be ok in place of wood chips? Unfortunately, I don't have a way for a truck to come in with a large load of anything...I just want dry (or drier) happy birds with clean feet...mine hate having dirty feet, which is another story altogether! Put a pan of water in, they will clean their feet and then drink it.....

 

[Folly's place]

Can you dig another trench, or is your run on a low spot in the yard? As a temporary cheap fix, add a lot of shavings and wood chips and whatever to raise the birds out of the water. Straw does compact and is harder to manage, but mixed in with shavings will be better. I think deep litter may be your best fix for now, and then French drains or something to drain water better. This summer I had a roof built over my run finally, and it's so much nicer for the winter snows here. Mary

 

[samantha LW]

I know this topic has been covered time and time again but there just HAS to be a better answer. I live in Charlotte NC and it has done nothing but rain for a month...red clay+water=horrible, nasty, sticky mud!!!!! I tried digging a drain....it kinda worked...I tried sand....I would have to be a millionaire to buy enough sand to fix this issue. During the summer we got leftover hurricane rain and I put down straw just to keep my girls up off of the mud.....well....that compacted, smelled to high heaven and invited rats. Here's the kicker.....my run is covered....AND 3/4 of it has been winterized with plastic sheeting. (so much for winter..it's 70) The water is seeping in from the ground outside of the run....and there doesn't seem to be anything that I can do about it....they have a dry coop but they love to dig and they just can't right now. Short of pouring a concrete floor and filling it in with dirt....does anyone have an idea to dry this mess up? At this point I am low on $$$ and fresh out of ideas.

You should be able to call your local power company and get free mulch from where they have cut trees off the power lines. If it is fresh you may want to spread it out until some of the heat coming off it dissipates. I get a truck load every year for my gardens and have had to put some left over I had from spring in my run where there is no grass for the same reason. Too much rain!

 

[TalkALittle]

Sounds similar to the problem I had in the spring. Deep litter solved my issue.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959402/help-springtime-stink-in-the-run

 

[KelliR]

So....deep litter in the run? The straw about broke my back when I went to remove it and it had compacted. Let me get this straight.....pine pellets, shavings, mulch.....pile it up on top of the mud and come spring just turn it all in with the dirt to refresh? That was kinda what I was leaning toward. I have some angry birds! They do however have a large, dry coop that honestly I could put a dust bath in.....poor girls...I feel so sorry for them! Thanks for the replies! Oh...and there is one French drain in there already, and yes it is in a lower part of the yard....had to build off of where the old playhouse was...it can't be moved....sheet metal!

 

[samantha LW]

So....deep litter in the run? The straw about broke my back when I went to remove it and it had compacted. Let me get this straight.....pine pellets, shavings, mulch.....pile it up on top of the mud and come spring just turn it all in with the dirt to refresh? That was kinda what I was leaning toward. I have some angry birds! They do however have a large, dry coop that honestly I could put a dust bath in.....poor girls...I feel so sorry for them! Thanks for the replies! Oh...and there is one French drain in there already, and yes it is in a lower part of the yard....had to build off of where the old playhouse was...it can't be moved....sheet metal!

Yes.you can also throw in leaves etc. from the yard. I have a friend who does this in her run because she has no grass at all. She pays my kids per wheelbarrow to go rake her yard and dump it in there. The chickens love it!